1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for cleaning a recording and/or reproducing head.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In an apparatus for recording and/or reproducing information on and from a recording medium, such as a magnetic sheet, a magnetic disc, a magnetic drum, a magnetic tape, etc., the recording or reproducing characteristics degrade when the recording medium confronting surface of the recording and/or reproducing head (hereinafter called the head ) of the apparatus is soiled with dust or magnetic debris or the like. To remove the soil, therefore, a method of cleaning the surface of the head, for example, by means of a solvent has been adopted. However, in the case of apparatus adapted for recording and/or reproducing video signals, the head is arranged with extreme precision. Therefore, application of the above-stated cleaning method is apt to damage the head. Besides, video tape players and rotary magnetic sheet, disc or drum players often have the head located in a position not readily accessible. Therefore, the above-stated cleaning method is not easily applicable to such players.
In view of such difficulty, there has been adopted another head cleaning method in which the head is cleaned by loading the recording and/or reproducing apparatus with a so-called cleaning tape or a cleaning sheet, disc or drum and by allowing the cleaning tape, sheet, disc or drum to travel or rotate in the same manner as in an ordinary recording or reproducing operation. However, apparatus adapted for recording and/or reproducing video signals has a very high relative moving speed between the recording medium and the head. The high relative movement speed produces an air film between the recording medium and the head. Therefore, in cleaning the head, if the head and the cleaning material are allowed to move relative to each other at the same high speed, the air film would come to hinder the head surface from being adequately cleaned.
Further, in the case of a recording and/or reproducing apparatus using a rotary recording medium, the rotating direction of the recording medium is fixed. Accordingly, in this instance, dust or debris or the like comes to accumulate on the head always in a fixed direction. For example, the dust or debris accumulates in an area close to an area of the recording medium confronting surface of the head situated upstream of the rotation of the recording medium. The soil due to the accumulated dust or debris eventually trails on the head surface downstream of the recording medium rotation. In such a case, the soiled head cannot be always sufficiently cleaned by the cleaning method of allowing a cleaning disc, sheet or drum to rotate in the same direction as in a recording or reproducing operation.
Further, the lapping material which is used in general for cleaning the head has a much greater frictional effect on the head than ordinary recording media. Use of a lapping material for cleaning over a long period of time, therefore, tends to wear away the head. When a lapping material is to be used for cleaning, the relative rotation of the recording or reproducing head and the lapping material must be allowed to continue for a minimal limited period of time.